This thread is proof to me that slant six owners are some of the most creative and intelligent automobile enthusiasts out there. Keep up the good work Doc, and keep us posted!

I am really "itching" to get this engine assembled but I am hung-up at one one of my machine shops. I took the block in for main line "honing" and it's been there for over a month... still not done.

The good news is that I finished all the piston and con rod balancing work and should get those assembled and the ring packs installed in the next few days.

After the alignhone, the cylinders need final sizing using a torque plate and this unit will be ready to assemble.
DD

Doc,

What brand/type of epoxy did you use???
Something like JB Weld?

Thanks!

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

I used JB Weld.
If you do some research on epoxys, you will find the JB weld has good temputure stability at a reasonable cost.
JB Weld is rated at 600 degrees and yes, there are epoxys out there rated at higher temps... but they cost a lot more.
DD

Doc,

That is good to know. I did do some research on its hardened properties.
I used it in the EGR hole under the carb (made a small mound, like a mountain) and under the exhaust pocket on my aluminum manifold. It's been on there for almost two years now, no problem with gas on it or the heat from the exhaust. I had it off a few times porting the exhaust some more on the head and manifolds, taking out the flapper, etc. and it is rock hard! Great stuff!

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

Lets see... it's been about 6 months of screwing around with 2 different machine shops but I can now say that I have all the parts to put the Buster engine together.

As with most "one-off" engine combinations, this one has been slow to get right, we have spent countless hours getting that light crank to clear everything in the aluminum block and getting the narrowed 198 rods fitted, lightened-up and rebalanced. As of this moment the crank is installed to take final measurements.

With the crank in, I was able to mock-up a piston assembly and check the static compression ratio, the first measurments shows the Silvolite 1290 pistons .016 down in the hole (-.016 deck height) and calculated a 10 to 1 CR with it's 8 cc dish. Our target compression is 9.5 so we increased the dish by 4 cc's.

Here is a photo of the last deck measurement:
DD

glad to see this build back up on the radar!

Have you decided on cam, carb and exhaust set ups yet?

Can't wait to see this one run

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-76 Cordoba, 360 4bbl
-68 Valiant, 273 2bbl
-67 Dart /6 4bbl, Leaning Tower of Power!!!

As things come together... Buster is becoming "Twiggy II" seeing that many of the Twiggy parts will get swapped over to Buster.
http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23948

So the main differences:
- Alminum block with iron cylinder "repair rings" bonded to the tops of the bores.
- Light weight cast iron crankshaft.
- 198 con rods and 2.2 pistons that are lightened to the max.

The Twiggy engine is sitting on another engine stand waiting for the moment... when I need the cam, lifters, oil pump, pans & covers for this new engine.

As for the intake and exhaust, it will either be the 1bbl factory exhaust set-up that was on the Twiggy engine or it will be a welded 2 bbl manifold and a set of Dutra Duals... I'm still undecided on that.
DD

Doc
Since the head was designed for a 170 and the Alum engines were the first years of production. Did Ma Mopar produce any 170 alum blocks for release?
I think all Ive heard of were 225's.
Frank

_________________
Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

All the production, die-cast Aluminum blocks were 225's.
I have seen 2 different styles of die castings so I think there were at least 2 different dies... or the die was changed at some point, to remove all the hydraulic lifter oil passage bosses that were originally designed into the Aluminum 225 production block.

As for Aluminum block 170s, my research shows that some prototypes were made and tested but those were small lots of sand casted blocks, which reportedly had many flaws and problems.

Over the years I have "chased" two "claimed" 170 aluminum blocks, with-out success. One ended-up being a 225 and the other "got scrapped" right before I arrived to get it.

Bottomline, I am always looking for an aluminum 170 but have never seen one.
On the other hand, I am always looking for aluminum SL6 cylinder heads and there is documentation about 2 different aluminum head prototype runs. Over the years I have chased down a number of those heads, seen and held at leased 6 different ones. Based on this comparison, I would say that aluminum block 170 were few to start with and the ones made were destroyed by Mopar, during or right after testing.
DD

Doc,

I got to thinking about what happened to twiggy vs. what you are doing on buster (cylinder wise) and was wondering if a hybrid of your two ideas wouldn't work well together.

It seems that your "sleeved" cylinder tops will give much more purchase for the head gasket to seal against. Would it be possible to cast in a top piece like you did with twiggy to build in cylinder stability at the top.

Or even to weld in some aluminum blocks on the thrust face axis of the cylinder to stabilize the cylinders at the top, against the newly added repair rings.

That got me to thinking (way more machining involved) about welding in blocks of aluminum, before doing the repair rings (again, on the thrust face axis of each cylinder, 2 blocks for each cylinder) Then boring the blocks and the iron cylinder tops like a v shape going downwards.

then the repair rings could be made v shaped too and pressed in against the aluminum stabilizer blocks and the face of the cylinder.

The head once bolted down would help to keep the repair rings down in place.

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-76 Cordoba, 360 4bbl
-68 Valiant, 273 2bbl
-67 Dart /6 4bbl, Leaning Tower of Power!!!

One thing I have learned about Alm. SL6 blocks is they do not like being welded on. They do not like having rings or support blocks pressed into them and they do not "like" having block filler added to them.
Any time I have done any of these processes, the engine warps, bends, twists, bores go out of round and basically the block needs a lot of additional machining work to get back on lay-out.
These engine blocks are the complete opposite of their cast iron "brothers", that can take a beating and not get hurt... it is easy to break or warp an aluminum SL6 block.

Welding on these blocks results in the most movement. I had .030 of bow on the Twiggy block when we welded the top deck closed.

I have used an inch of block filler on the water jacket floor with a few different Alm. SL6 blocks, including this block and that tends to reduce the lower part of the bores by .001 to .002, mostly, it knocks them out of round.

I saw the same general issue with the pressed-on top rings, doing that repair pinched the top of the bores and knocked them out of round. With the Buster block, it was already at .040 oversize... We were hoping to do all the filling and repair rings installs, then get it to torque plate hone-out at .045 over, (std 2.2 size) No way on that "wishful thinking".
We ended-up going to .048 (3.448) before all cylinders cleaned-up.

So the short story... don't weld on these blocks unless you really have to and are ready to do some corrective machine work afterwards.
DD

Wasn't these aluminum block done in "DIE-CAST" process? As in compressing the molten Al alloy into mold?

That's partial forging there. It will twist and bend like crazy as enough heat is added which de-stress block that had built in stress with heat. Al work harden also.

Also the Al is like zinc, try to melt to make it pasty and thick and nothing happens and suddenly melt.

What I would be thinking (wishful) is draw up a new Al /6 with partial closed deck so it does accept regular gasket instead of the rare gasket and add more meat to critical areas. Alteratively is: two piece Al or hybrid iron/aluminum block bolted together at the crankcase-cylinder block junction. The cylinder block is all one piece with cooling passages in it and crankcase seperate from it. Another beneifit is can use pushrod tubes to cut down on weight and casting diffculties.

Cheers, Wizard

It seems the MLS head gasket could solve these problems, and turboram is working on that. Let's wish him luck and give him our support.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Yes... I have some news that new head gaskets proto-type "samples" made "down-under" were recently shipped to me... I hope they arrive soon... Buster is coming together!
DD